A vibration damper assembly is conventionally utilized for a clutch assembly in the drive train between an automotive engine and a manual transmission to neutralize any torsional vibrations emanating from the engine. Although a torque converter for an automotive automatic transmission normally does not require a vibration damper as undesirable vibrations are hydraulically dampened in the converter, if a lock-up clutch is inserted in the torque converter to provide a direct drive between the impeller and turbine at higher speeds, vibrations again become a problem.
To overcome the problem of undesirable vibrations in the drive train, the present invention provides a vibration damper assembly having the capability of extended travel through the use of groups of springs arranged to operate in parallel.